News
News Archive

Graduation Initiative Fall Newsletter Available
10/29/2009
The Graduation Initiative has released its fall newsletter. This issue of Fifty-three contains stories about our students, updates on programs, an overview of state legislation affecting higher education and more.

Graduation Initiative Program Selected as Finalist for THECB Star Award
10/22/2009
The Graduation Initiative's Late Intervention program has been selected as a finalist for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 2009 Star Award. Winners will be announced in Dallas on December 4.

Graduation Initiative Launches Welcome Back Program
10/6/2009
Recently, the Graduation Initiative launched its newest program, Welcome Back which encourages students who left UTSA to return to campus to earn their undergraduate degree.

Profile of Successful Pell Grant Recipients
7/21/2009
The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics recently released a report looking at the time to bachelor's degree completion along with early enrollment in graduate school for recipients of Pell Grants.

Education Sector report
on Higher Education Accountability Systems

7/6/2009
At the end of June, Education Sector released their report, Ready to Assemble: Grading State Higher Education Accountability Systems. The report provides an overview of the methodology used in assessing the systems used and information provided on higher education accountability by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Texas (along with 9 other states) was found to be a "Best Practice" state. Individual reports for each state, D.C., and P.R. can be found on the Education Sector web site.

New Report on Financial Attitudes and Behaviors of College Students
6/15/2009
The Arizona Pathways to Life Success for University Students (APLUS) at the University of Arizona recently published their latest results from a longitudinal study of college students and the impact of their financial behaviors on academic performance and other life activities.

Department of Education Report on Trends in Reading and Mathematics Preparation
5/04/2009
In April, the Institute of Education Sciences: National Center for Education Statistics of the Department of Education released a report detailing longitudinal trend assessments in reading and math for elementary and secondary school students, an important factor in preparation for college-level work. Generally positive over the long-term (mid-seventies to present), showing increases in student performance, shorter-term results for math have remained fairly flat.

Jump Start 2009

The Graduation Initiative is proud to once again host the Jump Start program for incoming Engineering and Sciences students.

Why Jump Start?

In 2008, 78% of the Jump Start participants who completed the program improved their math placement by one or more math courses, collectively saving more than $61,124 in tuition and fees.

Program Purpose and Format

The goal of Jump Start is to place the Colleges of Engineering and Sciences freshmen into the highest level math course as early as possible in their undergraduate career, helping them to complete their degree sooner. Jump Start is held in conjunction with the 1604 Campus Roadrunner Roundup, and begins at 9:00 a.m. on the Monday prior to a student’s Roadrunner Roundup. Day one of Jump Start includes a math placement exam, a math course taught by a UTSA math instructor, and evening tutoring offered by the Quantitative Skills Lab (Q-Lab) tutors. Day two begins with checking-in to Roadrunner Roundup, followed by a question-and-answer session, a second math placement exam, and orientation.

Program Dates

Math Placement Exams

When students attend Jump Start, they have two opportunities to complete the calculus placement exam, determining at what level they will begin their math coursework at UTSA. Students are limited to a maximum of two attempts on the calculus placement exam over the course of their entire academic career, so Jump Start participants may use both of their allotted attempts. If a student would like to complete the math placement exam before the student’s Jump Start program date (i.e. not attend the morning test time), the student may complete the exam in advance. Testing Services offers the calculus placement exam during the week at the Downtown and 1604 Campuses. For the students’ convenience, the calculus placement exam will also be offered on Saturday, May 9, at 8:30 a.m. at the 1604 Campus. Refer to the Testing Services web site for additional information about test dates, times, locations, and test content. Students must register on ASAP to take the calculus placement exam.

Registration

To participate in Jump Start, students must complete three online registrations in the following order: Roadrunner Roundup registration, Jump Start registration, and registration for the calculus placement exam on the ASAP Web site: https://asap.utsa.edu/pls/prod/twbkwbis.P_WWWLogin. If a student has previously completed the New Calculus Placement Exam or would like to participate in Jump Start after having attended Roadrunner Roundup, the student is asked to contact one of the Retention and Graduation Analysts listed under Contact Information below. Here are the participant registration instructions:

Schedule

Monday  
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. First math placement exam in Business Building, Room 2.01.02.
11:30 – 1:00 p.m. Check in at Chaparral Village if student is attending Roadrunner Roundup. Students lunch on their own.
Students who previously completed the New Calculus Math Placement Exam should report with a copy of their scores promptly at 1:00 p.m. to the Business Building, Room 3.03.22.
1:00 – 5:00 p.m. Jump Start—Math Course
5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Students dine on their own.
6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Tutoring available in the Q-Lab
   
Tuesday  
7:30 a.m. Roadrunner Roundup check-in ONLY for those students pre-registered for Roadrunner Roundup.
Students arriving late will not be permitted to check-in.
8:45 – 9:15 a.m. Q&A in Business Building, Room 2.01.02
9:15 – 11:15 a.m. Second math placement exam in Business Building, Room 2.01.06. After completion, Jump Start participants will join the Roadrunner Roundup.

1604 Campus Map

Please refer to this online map of the 1604 Campus.

Parking

Participants will use the parking permit provided with their Jump Start confirmation. Parking is provided in Lots 14, 1A, or 1B.

Housing

On-campus housing is available for Jump Start participants who registered for Roadrunner Roundup housing, as well as for family members who are registered for Rowdy Ties, or family orientation.

The housing cost will be $18.00 per person, per night. The cost for Jump Start housing will be added to the student’s account at the time of check-in. Students registered for housing for Roadrunner Roundup will stay in the same housing location for both Jump Start and Roadrunner Roundup. If the student or family member(s) are not registered for Roadrunner Roundup or Rowdy Ties housing, hotels are available in the immediate area.

Fees

There is no registration fee for participating in Jump Start. However, the math placement exam fee(s) and housing costs are added to the participant’s tuition and fees. Food and other incidental expenses are out-of-pocket. All meals are at the student’s expense.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding Jump Start, please contact our Retention and Graduation Analysts: